Iran urges UN Security Council to convene urgently amid assassination of Hamas leader

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Iran's permanent mission to the UN on Wednesday called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council following the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran.

The letter obtained by Anadolu was sent to Vassily Nebenzia, the permanent representative of Russia and the current president of the UN Security Council, and described the killing of Haniyeh as a "terrorist attack and an act of aggression on the sovereignty and territory."

In the letter, Iran strongly condemned the "aggressive action of the Zionist regime" in the assassination of Haniyeh, characterizing the "terrorist act" as part of the assassinations of Palestinian resistance leaders and the genocide against Palestinians.

Emphasizing the role of the US as the strategic ally and supporter of the Israeli regime, the letter said: "This act could not have occurred without the authorization and intelligence support of the US."

The letter called for decisive action from the international community and the UN Security Council to punish the perpetrators, requesting an emergency meeting of the council.

"In light of these grave consequences of Israeli criminal acts on regional peace and security, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon the United Nations Security Council to condemn unequivocally and strongly the acts of aggression and terrorist attacks by the Israeli regime on Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as recent acts of aggression," the letter noted.

It also urged the UN Security Council to consider sanctions and other measures to punish Israel for its violations of international law.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.

Haniyeh was reelected as the head of Hamas political bureau in 2021 for a second consecutive term, slated to end in 2025.

Early Wednesday, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas announced that Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran.

Israel has not yet confirmed or denied its involvement.

The killing of Haniyeh came as Israel continued its devastating military campaign in the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 39,400 victims and injured over 91,000 since Oct. 7 following an attack by Hamas.

* Serife Cetin contributed to this story